The Real Light of Christmas

"In [Christ] was life, and the life was the light of men." - John 1:4

One of my favorite traditions of the Christmas season is to light up the night in lights. Before we even turn the calendar to December, neighborhoods and businesses, homes and churches all burst in patterns of red, green, and white. Who doesn't love decorating the Christmas tree, then turning out all the other lights in the room to enjoy the twinkling lights? Even a single candle burns brightly against the backdrop of the darkness.

This tradition is well suited to the real celebration of the season. The Bible says that when Jesus Christ was born, the light came into the world (John 3:19). In fact, more than 200 times in the Bible, God is described as light. Figuratively and literally, whenever God appears, light appears. It happened in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, all the way until the end of time when the book of Revelation tells us that in hell there will only be darkness and in heaven there will only be light. When we celebrate Christmas, we remember the day in history when Jesus stepped from heaven to earth, bringing with Him the light that drives out the darkness in man's heart. This is amazing news! You may be wondering, what does this have to do with me? Or, what does it mean to have the light of life? Those are the right questions to ask. There are many ways to describe the gift that God wants to give you, but let's start here. Ask yourself, What should I do with the light of the world?

Have you ever been in some pitch-black place when you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face? That's what life is like without Jesus. You can't fully appreciate the light until you feel the weight of the darkness. If you feel alone and trapped, searching but not finding--Jesus Christ is the light. If you feel cruelly crushed under the wrongs done to you--Jesus Christ is the light. If you feel perplexed by an issue or circumstance that you can't figure out--Jesus Christ is the light. Maybe that describes you. If you want to know the way out, you first have to admit that you're in darkness. You don't understand the purpose of life. You're not ready to die but you're also not fully living. You don't see any hope worth trusting. But it all can change right now.

Before any of us turned to Jesus, nothing made sense to us either. We couldn't sort out anything in this mixed up world. But since receiving Jesus as our Savior, we understand what's going on. Although life still isn't perfect we realize what sin does to our lives and we take hold of the provision of forgiveness. Suddenly Christmas is so much more than a stale exchange of gifts and some silly guy in a red suit. At Christmas we celebrate the forgiveness of sin that can only be found in Jesus.

16. Looking Back: Where I've Been & Why I Blog

Even as things are comming to an end in my first semester here at Mississippi College, it seems as though life is only getting busier and busier. Make-up tests, studying for final exams, end of the semester parties, and to add on to that, my roomate is moving out next semester. Amidst this time of congested work and "busy-ness", I have developed a new interest and talent in blogging over the past few months.

Blogging has helped me to not only focus on reflection, but it allows me to focus on what is going on in my life, and how God is working through every single circumstance to provide for my life, my spirit, and my future. I blog not only to refelect about myself, but to offer an encouragement to those who have the same feelings, or who need an uplifting word in thier own troubled experiences. I have gained a lot from blogging, and blogging has required a lot from me. I find that the more I put into blogging, the better focus I have on my personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It provides a chance for personal insight, and a vista into what I'm trying to accomplish as I pursue the Lord's calling for my life.

At times in this semester, and especially now, I have felt very stressed and anxious about certain exams, circumstances, and events. But by blogging about my feelings, it sort of acts as a slight "stress-reliever". This is how journaling has been used for. Blogging is simply an online way to share your thoughts, ideas, and feelings with millions of other people over the internet. Therefore, I strive to use every chance I get in writing these blogs to share not only my life experiences with others, but how Christ first saved me, and how He is shaping me into the person He desires me to be. I hope that anyone reading or that has read this blog will only benefit from what I have reflected upon, and the feelings and truths I have expressed. I intend to continue this blog in the future, and also develop my new blog project, http://thechristianbrotherhood.blogspot.com. I always greatly appreciate those who have taken the time to comment and read my blog. God Bless, and I look forward to continuing my journey in Christ, and walking in His "footsteps".

15. Hope for This Christmas

The Christmas season has just started, yet for me it feels like such a long wait. The transition between winter and fall is my most favorite season, especially the temperature change, the beautiful colors, my birthday, my mom's birthday, my parent's anniversary, and of course the advent of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of whom we celebrate the day on which He was born. As I begin to think about the season this year and what it means to me, I realized how fortunate we are as God's children. As many of us take for-granted this phenomenal truth, there are many "orphans" out there, unbelievers wallowing in the filth of their own lives of which they have no idea how deep a hole they have dug for themselves. This analogy of "orphans" reminds me of a song written a few years ago for the Christmas season by a Christian artist, Toby McKeehan. 

"This Christmas"

Now Johny never got his wish on December 25

That's what he said when he left the orphanage

9 years old, but Johny was an old soul

Gonna spend his first Christmas in a real home

Showed me a picture that he drew the night before

Was a picture of a man standin' outside a door

I asked him who it was and he said someone I only see in dreams

Comforts me when I cry myself to sleep

Believe in angels?

Johny asked me starin' at the sky

I said I do and saw a sparkle in his eye

Big brother for the weekend respondin' to the season

Took the chance that givin's better than recievin'

Two nights, a new family, some holiday cheer

We laughed and sang

Came on a midnight clear

We gave, recieved, and as we headed to close

We looked to the heavens and it started to snow

Down blessings

[Chorus]

Father of the fatherless

Be with your sons and daughters this Christmas

Father let us not forget

The children who are all alone this Christmas

This illustration of adoption is a good lesson for the beauty of God's work of claiming us as His own. The Apostle Paul tells us we have been adopted by God and are now heirs of His divine promises (see Romans 8, Galatians 4). But what are we to make of our lives when it seems that, despite our faith, we are alone in the world? If you have ever felt isolated, cut off, or singled out, then you know what it is to feel hopelessly alone, as if God Himself has turned His back on you. In times like these, we can remember one of the Christ-child's names: "Emmanuel"-God with us. And indeed, only once has God ever turned His back on His own, as the grown Christ exclaimed from the cross, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Thus, the Father rejected His Son for our sake. Jesus died alone so we would never be alone. Since we have been adopted into God's family with Christ our brother, and led by the Holy Spirit, "by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" (Rom. 8:15), we have hope. So as we try to not get caught up in all the "hustle and bustle" of the season, let's try to remember the true reason for the season. For this time of year should remind us that because of Christ, we will never be alone, and neither should the lost. Focus not on getting and receiving, but on giving the gift that Christ first gave to us, spreading the hope, planting the seed, displaying the light of Christ to those who are "orphaned" in their own spiritual lives. What better way to show the true spirit of Christmas: the birth of Hope.

14. Will You Be 'Giving Thanks' on Thanksgiving?

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:15-17

Fall semester has been a trying semester, and since it has been a semester spent getting acclimated to the college atmosphere, I have been swamped with new ideas, new forms of study habits, and the fact that this isn't high school with a test every week. I'm sure everyone one has only one thing on their minds right now. I'm ready for a break. Ever since our 2 days of fall break I have been anticipating getting to spend time with family over the Thanksgiving holidays. I've spent a little time trying to shift my focus to what Thanksgiving really is and how we should view it. 

I came upon the verse above when I was sitting in NT Bible class attempting to follow the lesson, but this verse caught my attention. It really encouraged me at that moment, and inspired me to write a few thoughts down about what I thought Thanksgiving really meant, and what it meant to me. If I were to take one theme from this verse, it would be, no matter what situation or struggles you may come by, always give thanks to God. Giving thanks to the Lord is one of the best ways to express our appreciation to God for His blessings and yet how many of us do it on a regular basis? Yes, we normally go through our routines of casually thanking God for our food before we eat, we  seldom even thank Him for the clothes we wear and praise Him for the sunshine. Around the Thanksgiving holiday we may even list out our blessings and reflect on what God has done, but to do we really "offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually"? Hebrews 13:15 states: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name." 

Continually doesn't just mean once a year or even once a day for that matter. It implies that it is repeated without interruption. David said in Psalm 34:1, "...His praise shall continually be in my mouth." He also said, "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments." (Psalm 119:62) When's the last time we found ourselves up at midnight thanking the Lord? Later on in that same psalm David says, "Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." Do we stop seven times a day to thank God? Do we even stop once or twice to praise Him?

Now that we know that we need to thank God continually, how do we do it? If you think that all thanking God involves is sitting in a small group in a quiet place, whispering quiet praise songs--think again! Thanking/Praising God is an active thing. We are not to keep praising God to ourselves. We are to "...make known his deeds among the people." (Psalm 105:1) In other words if you receive a blessing--tell someone about it. If we are going to develop a lifestyle of praise to God continually, we need to put things in perspective. Realize who God is and who we are not. "Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3,4) We need to recognize that all of the blessings that come in our lives come not from ourselves, our hard work, or worldly coincidence/"luck", but from above.

If we can simply remember these truths when we fellowship with our family over the Thanksgiving meal and holidays, then we can truly bring the spirit of gratitude, thankfulness, and praise back to where it should be: "in the center of the table". I only hope that these ideas and truths will help to bring the true spirit of Thanksgiving back into your heart and that it will only help to make your Thanksgiving holiday the more enjoyable. May God be praised and may your spirit be lifted as we thank Him for all He has done in our lives. Remember to praise Him even in the storm, even when the rain falls, and even when you're life just couldn't get any better. God Bless, Dive Deep, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a fun cartoon I found. Happy Thanksgiving!

13. A Ransom For Many

"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:25-28

As I have been struggling with getting back to reading God's Word daily, I have ended up doing a lot more thinking than actually reading. As I came across these verses in Matthew, the word "ransom" struck me as one of the more powerful words in these few verses. What exactly is a ransom? According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is defined as "the price or payment made for our redemption, a debt that has not been cancelled, but fully paid. The slave or captive is not liberated by a mere gratuitous favor, but a ransom price has been paid, in consideration of which he is set free. The original owner receives back his lost possession because he has bought it back 'with a price'." 

This price or ransom always said to be Christ, his blood, his death. He secures our redemption by the payment of a ransom. This payment is what intrigued me the most. This means of payment, a means of horrible , to set us free from the burdens and of sin. Are we also finding comfort in the reality of the love God has for us that compelled Him to provide for our greatest need -- the ransom for the forgiveness of our sins -- and to offer a hope that will not disappoint us?

In spite of disappointing events and fearful situations of this life, we can still find comfort and hope because of the assurance God's grace provides for an eternity with Him. By knowing this simple fact and demonstration of grace, we can humbly acknowledge these blessings as undeserved, while at the same time experience a confidence that will powerfully motivate us to press on in life knowing the blessings are most assuredly ours in Christ. Praise God for His amazing grace that provided us with Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, and our Ransom.

12. Belief in the Unseen

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 

This past week concluded the Shawreth Rush that I was apart of. It has been a long, tiring journey. One filled with stress, fatigue, and anxiety. It was physically taxing, mentally demanding, and emotionally stressful. But, I have realized that all of those "momentary troubles" have built upon one another to contribute to my overall personal strength and courage. It has taught me that the troubles we go through in life are placed there by God, only to make us stronger. Even if we see no good in them, no "light at the end of the tunnel", we can always know that God is that light, and He can turn those bad situations into ones that glorify Him. 

At the end of this verse in 2 Corinthians, we see this statement that encourages us to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen". This is the ultimate statement of what faith is all about. We read in Hebrews 11:1-6,  "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." That's what I find hard to do most of the time. Believing in the unseen. Why? Well the answer lies in verse 18 of 2 Corinthians 4. We are to believe in the unseen because all that we can see here on earth is temporary, for it's the unseen that lasts forever. I think most of us have a hard time letting go of the things of this world, and focusing on the things that are really something. In order to not "be of the World" we have to let go of those things that are "seen". 

Believing in the unseen, the true essence of what faith exactly is, will bring not only pleasure to God, but will invigorate our lives, our hearts, and our minds, no matter what, when, or where troubles come into our lives. If we believe in God, who can be against us? That question is one of the many things that helped me get through those tough times I've been through lately. It helped me, and I hope that these words may help encourage you as you further your walk with Christ.  

11. Life. Liberty. The Pursuit of Happiness.

All of us have been talking about the election. The election that has shook the very foundation of what the United States of America has been built upon. It has been a historic election. One filled with breaking trends and promoting "change". It has incited unfavorable responses from some, yet produced great accomplishment in others. No matter who was elected, this election was bound to make history either way. But after reflecting on how important this decision was for America, and how it really does affect the citizens of this great nation, I am left to think about the future, and what lies ahead. 

Unfortunately, I have heard many degrading remarks concerning Barack Obama and the outcome of this election. I myself voted for John McCain. I am proud to have supported him in his challenge for the White House. But even though the opposing party has won, I do not think of it as total failure. God has obviously intended for Barack Obama to become the Nation's 44th President, and with that assurance, we should not condemn him. Although I do not share the same morals and ideals that he has presented, it doesn't mean that I should withhold my respect and loyalty towards him. God commands us all to respect all authority over us, for it has been placed over us only by God himself. Even if we don't agree, we should still give our future President the honor and respect he deserves. For 1 Thessalonians 5:12 says; "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you."

Here's some of what Mike Huckabee had to say concerning the outcome of the election:

"I'm very proud to have supported Senator McCain and the only regret is that more Americans didn't share my conviction that he would have made an outstanding President.  I not only recognize, but respect that we are a nation in which the people choose and tonight they have chosen Senator Obama.  He was not my choice, but he will be my President and I will pray for him to lead this great nation with God's help and grace.  He will face serious challenges to lead our country and he will need all Americans to give him a chance. As disappointed as I am that we have lost the election, I can't help but feel that many courageous leaders of the civil rights movement look down from heaven tonight with a smile that the day has come when a man is elected without regard to his color.  I salute President-elect Obama for his discipline and tenacity that has given our country the opportunity to witness this significant event."

This year has been indeed a whirlwind of political strife. We can only look forward to the beginning of a new year. We should not be anxious. We should not be worried. We should not be overly-critical and question our next President's every move. We should remember who is really in control, and without Him, we can do nothing. I only hope that the soon to be President Obama will come to recognize this simple fact. But in the end, it's not about who wins, it's about who brought glory to God. I believe God can use this situation to His glory. Now, it's up to us to support our faith. 

I conclude with this final quote from Mike Huckabee; 

"Politics is not an event but a process. We sometimes lose events, but it never gives us the right to stop being faithful to our principles that enlisted us in the process. In the end, we shall live to fight another day."

10. Prayer : A Comfort, A Connection

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." - 1 John 5:14-15

What is prayer? Prayer is our direct line to heaven. Prayer is a communication process that allows us to talk to God. He wants us to communicate with Him, like a person-to-person phone call. Cell phones and other devices have become a necessity to most people in today’s society. We have bluetooth, blackberries, iPhones, and etc! These are all means of communication that allow two or more people to interact, discuss, and respond to one another. To many people, prayer seems complicated, but it is simply talking to God. 

Right now, I am struggling with how to cope with all of my stress and anxiety about this new "balancing" act that I have to maintain right now in my life. I've sought comfort from many sources, finding it to be only temporary. I have been reminded through those experiences that nothing of this world can provide strength and comfort as only God can. And the only way we can ever achieve that joy in comfort is through devout, sincere prayer to God, not for the things we want, but praising Him for blessing us with the things we have. Its been very hard for me to come to that understanding, and yet I am still trying to reconcile my spiritual life with Christ. Here's an excerpt from a source I found on Gospel.com that offers an illustration that helped me understand more about how God works through prayer. - 

"I once heard an illustration about how God strengthens us during trials. It went like this: “Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us, we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us; we can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.”

That illustration really gave an important vista for me to be able to grasp how God can truly lift us up and above our "storms", while at the same time using those "storms" in the process. We simply have to dedicate our time to Christ, Let go, and Let God do His work in our lives. Once we do that we will know with confidence that God can hear us when we pray. So, let's open that line of communication! Pray, knowing that no matter how far you roam, your connection with Him can never be lost! 

9. What It Means to Trust

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  - Proverbs 3:5-6

The past few weeks have been extremely overwhelming. Not only because of school work and midterm grades, but all the stresses and worries that come with rushing too. Over these past few weeks I've leaned a great deal about what devotion is, and what it takes to persevere. There were some days that I didn't know what to do and I felt like I was drowning in stress and anxiety. But this command in Proverbs came to mind. I bet a lot of people would say that Proverbs 3:5-6 is their life verse. If not, you probably even have it memorized.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." 

This is a promise that I have learned is essential to our spiritual life with God. But I wanted to go deeper into what each part of this verse meant. So I did some research and broke the verse down into four parts. So here they are.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart" is obviously an exhortation not to doubt. When you trust in the Lord with all your heart, you're making a tangible choice not to let unbelief "eat away" at your soul. You're confident in Jesus and jumping in with both feet.

"...Do not lean on your own understanding." You can't trust in the Lord with all your heart if you're leaning on your own understanding. I'd like to think I trust the Lord like that right now, but how can I be sure I do? I think that John Piper said it best in one of his sermons - 

"Maybe you know some things. You've been around the block, you know how things work, you know how to get it done. There's nothing wrong with that. It's good, in fact. The problem is, are you leaning on those things when you hit a crisis? Are you confident in your own ability to get out of tight spots? Do you say anything like, "I know how to fix this. I've been through this before. I'm going to get on this right now." Yeah, that's not great. Don't lean on your own understanding."

"In all your ways acknowledge Him..." In every choice, acknowledge God. We might be able to handle that situation by ourselves, but we still want to glorify God in every situation we come in contact with. So in all our ways, we should put Him first. 

"...And He will make straight your paths." If we will just lay all of our burdens, desires, and worries at His feet, He will work things out in His perfect timing. He knows what we are going through. God's grace keeps humbling me each time I think about how such a powerful and magnificent creator of the world can be so concerned and compassionate about our own microscopic worries and stresses. But He doesn't just offer compassion and grace, He challenges us to get back up and try again. "Just try Me on that one," God says. "Test Me and see if I'm not faithful." So here comes our chance to discover the amazing promise God gives to those who totally trust in Him. So let's Dive Deep.....and see what God has in store for our lives.

8. I Surrender My Will

I surrender my will. What do those words bring to mind? It's something that we don't really like to think about because those words involve the sacrifice of our own personal desires. We don't choose with our minds, although we have to understand. We don't choose with our emotions, though ultimately it helps to want to make the choices. Ultimately we choose with our will. So in order to make the choices according to God's will, we must first surrender our will. Without the surrender of our will, we can never follow God's plan for our lives. Each of these choices has presented a decision between God's will and our own way. The surrender of our will always comes down to saying, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done."

This week my service project was playing with children at an apartment complex. I had a good time, but came to the realization that this small apartment complex was all they knew since they had lived there apart from their school. They didn't have a sense of the world outside their apartment complex. In the same way, most of us try to stay isolated from uncomfortable situations by placing our will above God's. This can prove unhealthy for our relationship with God. Like I stated above, we must surrender our will to God, and when that happens, we can have the strength we need to make it through those uncomfortable times, and step out of our "bubble". Here's a verse and some points that can help us live our lives having surrendered our will.

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." - 1 Corinthians 16:13

First Corinthians 16:13 breaks down into four great challenges to help us in living with a surrendered will: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."

1: Be watchful. Pay attention. Take a stand. Don't compromise. Engage. Participate. When he made these challenges, the apostle Paul was wrapping up his first letter to the Corinthian church with what it takes to following Jesus over your lifetime—a long obedience in the same direction.

2: Stand firm in the faith. Be determined. Certain. Resolute in your commitment. There are many ways to fall; one way to stand. Root yourself in Christ.

3: Act like men. The equivalent today might be something like, Don't whine or waver or wallow with excessive emotion. Choose your course and stick to it. Don't let your feelings rule your actions.

4: Be strong. Don't be weak or passive. Engage your will. Step up. Don't be indifferent. There's a lot on the line here. Life is short. Take a stand. Fly the flag. Live for Jesus.

7. We Must Decrease, For Him To Increase

"Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all'." - Mark 9:35

Through my experiences in the past couple days I have learned a lot about what a servant is, and what it means to be a servant, not only a servant of man, but a servant of Christ. I think this verse truly describes what it means to be a servant. In thinking about this verse I decided to write down a few thoughts I had concerning how we should look at service overall. In order to become a steadfast servant through Christ, we must first devote ourselves to these ideals. We should remind ourselves of these things often, in an attempt to truly understand what service is and how God wants to instill it in us for His will. We must remind ourselves that:

My life is not going to be about myself.

I'm going to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I can't change the world, but I can change my own destiny.

I know what God wants. I know what God's looking for.

I'm going to be a servant.

Our Christian lives will never make sense until we learn how to serve by "rolling up our sleeves and jumping in". Until we serve, our Christian lives will always be an obligation. Godly disciplines will feel like burdens until we get off the bench and into the game. Spiritually speaking, we'll never get the "wind in our sails" until we fully and completely commit to imitating Christ in regular, humble, faithful service. As Luke 9:23-24 states, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life, for My sake, will save it." This verse has been my theme verse for a couple years now, and it has always reminded me about how much I can strive to do better, to persevere, and through devotion, serve my brothers and my fellow man. 

We don't have to ask God if He wants us to serve, He has called every one of us into a lifetime of service. I know God wants to do something great with you—so whatever He's calling you to do, do it with your whole heart. Others may never assign greatness to your life, but in serving Christ you will have the assurance in faith, that you have lived a life fulfilled by God and no one or nothing else. Keep the faith, and serve as Christ first served us. 

6. Out of Ashes, Into Freedom

For two weeks now I have been attending the Morrison Heights College Choir called "Hesed" (pronounced "hess-said"), the Hebrew word for lovingkindness. The following is a good, working definition of hesed: "the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of our Father God". Now that I have explained the meaning of the word, every week the choir becomes more and more of an awesome experience for me. The music minister, John Langworthy, directs, but more so inspires the choir by including everyone and applying the message of the music we sing to everyday life. Here are some lyrics to one song we sing that has impacted me: 

Out of ashes prayers are lifted

From the weary mourners call
Broken hearts are being mended
Jesus' stripes can heal them all

Out of ashes into freedom
Out of dying into life
See the joy that's set before us
In the blinding cross of Christ

Out of ashes sinners' finding 
Mercy hope and righteousness
Revel in their new found passion
Worshiping in thankfulness

Out of ashes He is risen
Seated with the heavenly hosts
Clouds of witnesses are praising
Father, Son and Holy Ghost

This song has spoken to me in ways that I could never understand. I believe that God had a plan for me when I decided one Sunday night to go and get involved in the choir. But not only that, this song showed me how as Christians we should strive to leave our "ashes" behind and focus on God's eternal plan for our lives. We all have ashes in our lives. Those things that we try to escape from, by moving away from a certain place, or trying to change an area in our lives. But God is the only one who can completely erase those ashes, all we have to do is humble

 ourselves and turn to Him. Once we can recognize our bondage in sin, Christ redeems us by taking our chains upon Himself and we are set free.

Do you recognize those chains and those ashes that keep weighing you down in your spiritual life with Christ? Accept the fact that you can't redeem yourself, that you can't go on living like this. Accept the love of Christ, "hesed", His true lovingkindness. It is this love, demonstrated through the life and death of our Savior Jesus Christ, that has the power to shape our lives and make us who we are today -- a people filled with joy and confidence who know the source of life and who are living lives that have been unchained, and redeemed.                

5. What's In Your Wallet?: Finding True Treasure

What is your treasure in life? Is it your friends? Your boyfriend or friend? Your possessions? or your money? Jesus says that there are only two things that will be going to heaven with you. First, God's Word, and second, His people. Just those two things are going to last forever. I personally have been struggling with what comes first in my life. Trying to fit that extra little thing over my ultimate responsibility to God. 

Your heart is with your treasure. Your treasure is with your heart. What you love most becomes treasure to you. What you treasure most becomes what you love. Those two are inseparable. Instead of building up our earthly status, Matthew 6:20-21 tells us to "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". 

When it's all said and done, you're going to go with your treasure. Your treasure serves as your "default mind-set. When the sun goes down and you've come to the end of another day and you lay your head on a pillow, you think, I've got my treasure taken care of, because it's got my heart. Don't let yourself get carried away with the things of this world. Start investing yourself in others, through Christ, and make disciples for Him. If you invest your time wisely, and make the right decisions, that market will never "crash" or go into "recession", nor will it cease to amaze you. 

4. Expanding Horizons

Since I've been here at MC, I've met a lot of people. Not just a lot of people, but a lot of different kinds of people. People that have traveled very far just to come here to Mississippi College. I believe that their diversity is an important part of our student body. But what is the meaning of "diversity"?

Diversity is defined as "the state of being different; variety; multiformity; a point of difference". It is a word that challenges each of us to free ourselves from those miserable prejudices that enslave us. Except for occasional glimpses of light, Christians, like others, have been imprisoned by those traditions that enable us to “pass on the other side” in our obligation to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But instead of "passing on the other side", could we actually learn something from eachother? How?

Here's a suggestion. We should view our fellow students’ potential with objectivity. To be unaware of another’s potential is to deny his or her essence. Those who are unaware of what others have to give are more prone to exploit others. Instead, we should recognize that we can learn something from them. We have to realize that we need to step out of our "world bubble" or our "comfort zone" here in the U.S. and take into consideration that there actually are awesome opportunities out there, whether across the seas or even on our own continent. By doing this, "expanding our horizons", we can aid our Christian community in bringing together humankind through Jesus Christ and Him alone.

3. An Application of Faith

As I was reading through the first part of The Idea of a Christian College, by Arthur F. Holmes, for an English reading assignment, I came upon some very interesting ideas or "approaches" on how Christian colleges can and should integrate faith into education and learning. MC's mission statement says that it "values the integration of faith and learning throughout the educational process". So if a Christian college can integrate faith into its education, how do we integrate faith into our own lives, after being exposed to the faith we get from our education?

Well, to properly answer that question, what exactly is faith? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." As Christians, we are called to learn and develop our faith because it is the most essential and of the utmost importance for every aspect of our lives. Without faith, we can do nothing! Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

As Christians, especially those who are responsible for the education and care of others, we are called to build our spiritual foundation from the solid foundation of the Bible and the Bible alone. As Romans 10:17 states, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." So as I go to class here at MC and see how the Bible, the root of our faith, is integrated into my education, I can come back with a stronger sense of spiritual encouragement as I continue on towards finding God's will for my life. So in the end, by putting faith into the equation, MC can help encourage my walk and prepare me for exactly how God wants to use me.

2. About Me and MC

Well I'm Tony, as you might already know, and I'm from Huntsville, AL. I graduated from a small, Christian, private school where I was on the swim team, played baseball, and was on Student Council. I enjoyed my years there, and it taught me a lot about Christ and how Christianity isn't just a religion, it's a relationship. During my junior year, I visited different colleges including Samford, Lee University, Wheaton College, University of Mobile, Union University, and University of West Florida. I figured out then that I wanted a smaller, Christian environment instead of a big university. Up to that point, I had not even heard of MC, until my family visited some of our friends who live here in Clinton, MS. About every so often we come here to visit and go hunting with our friends. Well on one trip our friends invited another one of their friends to come and hunt with us, me not knowing that this "friend" was the Vice President at MC, Mr. Jim Turcotte. He told me to give MC a look, and I made several campus visits. Since then, I believe that the Lord directed my path here to MC, and I am still exploring His will for me everyday.

As for my major, I plan to graduate Mississippi College with a B.S. in Nursing. I beleive that God has given me the gift of compassion for others. After I finish here, I plan to go on to earn a Masters degree in Nurse Practitioner, and maybe one day become a medical missionary. My life hero, aside from Jesus Christ, has been man by the name of Jim Elliot. Jim was a missionary to a "lost" tribe in Ecuador. He and a few other men gave their lives one day, on one beach where they were attempting to reach this lost tribe called the "Aucas". You may have seen a move dedicated to these men called "End of the Spear". Jim's wife also wrote a book called "Through the Gates of Splendor" which goes more in detail about her husbands mission in Ecuador.

But anyways, that's me, and I intend to write about a little more intellectual stuff than this, and hopefully I'll be able to get better at writing on a blog. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Dive Deep in Christ,

Tony

1. The Beginning

Hey I'm Tony and welcome to my blog! I am a freshman at Mississippi College and a Nursing major. I am new to this way of blogging and am not the best at keeping and writing a journal, but I'll do my best and see what the Lord will lead me to write. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Dive Deep,

Tony